Army veteran raises thousands for Ukraine in epic trek

The retired police officer, who lives in Marks Tey with his wife Sandie, completed an incredible 874-mile journey from John O’Groats to Lands End on foot as part of an epic fundraising effort.

Dipping his toe in the North Sea in John O’Groats on Tuesday, June 9, it took Mr Edwards – who also served in the Armed Forces – a total of 28 days to make his way from the far north of Great Britain to the deep south.

Not only did he raise plenty of money for the Ukraine Crisis Appeal, he made plenty of new friends along the way too.

Mr Edwards received donations from Mrs McLeish in Inverness during the early days of the trek, and later from a Mr Higgins in Cheshire when the going got tough and fatigue started to set in.

Most heartening of all, perhaps, was the fact that many of those who donated to Mr Edwards’ effort were simply passersby who got chatting to the 70-year-old along the way.

Now back home, Mr Edwards has raised £3,417, far exceeding his £2,000 target, but donations are still flooding in.

Aside from his never-say-die attitude and the support of his family, Mr Edwards owes much of his success to generous members of the public, with their interest in his efforts piqued by a message on his fluorescent jacket which read ‘900 miles for Ukraine.’

Reflecting on his efforts, Mr Edwards explained the donations to his cause, combined with the offers of accommodation from people, took him aback.

Not only did he raise plenty of money for the Ukraine Crisis Appeal, he made plenty of new friends along the way too

He said: “I’ve never waved at so many cars, and I must have been handed about £2,000 in cash [over the course of the trek].

“I had on the top of my rucksack a Union Jack and a Ukrainian flag – the amount of support I got was amazing.

“If ever my faith in humanity was in doubt, it’s been restored, 100 per cent.”

Staying active is very much in Mr Edwards’ blood.

After a serious car crash in 1997, it took Mr Edwards more than three years before he could walk again – unsurprisingly, by the time he was back walking in 2000, his next step was to get back running.

And being ex-army, he was never going to sit idly by while the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolded.

Mr Edwards had previously said he “just felt the need to do something” – but averaging 40 miles of walking each day and only a few hours sleep each night, it was a challenge which would test even Bear Grylls.

Although Mr Edwards had army rations for the first week or so, the following three weeks saw him subsist off a diet of biscuits, crisps, and chocolate bars – though he admitted he did lose about a stone in weight over the course of the trek.

And being ex-army, he was never going to sit idly by while the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolded

What really kept him going, however, was not calories, but more the support he received and the conversations he had with people who were in awe of his efforts.

He said: “The hospitality, the kindness… people wouldn’t let me spend a penny – whenever I went into a shop the person behind the counter would say it’s on the house.

“I went into a charity shop for a cup of tea, and before I knew it the lady was telling me to help myself to this and that.

“As I was leaving, the whole charity café stood up and started clapping me as I left.”

When asked whether there were moments where he considered packing it in, the answer was a resounding no – despite some of the bad weather.

“I was caught in gales trying to cross the Cromarty bridge; it was a wonder I didn’t end up in New York, and I got absolutely washed out near Loch Lomond.

“I slept in a cow shed, a green house, a conservatory, a barn, garages, fields – whatever there was.”

The retired police officer, who lives in Marks Tey with his wife Sandie, completed an incredible 874-mile journey

Having gone 28 days on foot, and experiencing the generosity of hundreds along the way, it came as no surprise that Mr Edwards became emotional by the end the trek.

“Unbeknown to me, when I turned up at Land’s End all I could see was this big crowd of people – when I got to the finishing line I was nearly in tears,” he said.

“All the cheering and clapping was brilliant – what a topping.”

As he settles back into normal life in Marks Tey, Mr Edwards is still on something of a high after seeing the fruits of his efforts and the comments on his Just Giving page.

“It doesn’t seem real now for me to walk such a great distance – it seems surreal that I did it, but I did.”

Donations to Mr Edwards’ challenge can be made via justgiving.com/fundraising/brian-edwards13.